Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: touch, feel, sense of touch, tactile sense, tactility, contact, using one's hands, sensation, sense, suspicion, sneaking suspicion, notion, inkling, hunch, fancy, apprehension, presentiment, premonition, foreboding, love, care, affection, fondness, tenderness, warmth, warmness, emotion, sentiment, emotional state, compassion, sympathy, empathy, fellow feeling, understanding, concern, solicitude, solicitousness, tender-heartedness, brotherly love, sensibilities, sensitivities, self-esteem, ego, pride, opinion, belief, view, impression, intuition, instinct, estimation, guess, theory, hypothesis, thought, way of thinking, point of view, atmosphere, ambience, aura, air, mood, climate, character, overtone, undertone, tenor, spirit, quality, flavour, colour, aptitude, knack, flair, bent, talent, gift, skill, art, trick, faculty, ability, propensity, inclination, sensitive, warm, warm-hearted, tender, tender-hearted, caring, soft-hearted, sympathetic, compassionate, empathetic, responsive, receptive, intuitive, thoughtful

Antonyms: bad feeling, acrimony, animosity, animus, antagonism, antipathy, aversion, bitterness, detestation, disgust, dislike, disrelish, enmity, friction, grievances, grudges, hatred, hostility, loathing, malevolence, malice

Showing 4726 to 4750 of 4952 results

4726. Parabola

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... may have diseases? Do you think you could be attacked too? Would you stop? What is happening in the story for you? [Let them continue the story.] Now, let’s say, there’s a woman going by too. Women ….will you stop? The elder didn’t stop that day. He thought it was far too risky. And after all, he gives to the homeless fund at church, and there are other people who should be doing that –the police, or someone like that. He can’t take the time or the risk. He has a family, he thinks. Are these bad ...

4727. The Master's Voice

Matthew 13:53-58, Mark 6:1-6, Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... reach The hidden depths of many a heart. O give Thine own sweet rest to me, That I may speak with soothing power A word in season, as from Thee, To weary ones in needful hour. O fill me with Thy fullness, Lord, Until my very heart overflow In kindling thought and glowing word, Thy love to tell, Thy praise to show. O use me, Lord, use even me, Just as Thou wilt, and when, and where, Until Thy blessèd face I see, Thy rest, Thy joy, Thy glory share. **The image today was taken from Wikipedia (public domain ...

4728. Do(n't) Rock the Boat

Mt 14:22-36, Mk 4:35-41, Lk 8:22-25, Jn 6:16-24

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... . On our own, we falter and fall. But with Jesus beside us and within us and among us, we are always sure to survive every turbulence. Do you remember when you learned to ride a bike? I mean the first time without those training wheels? When you thought your father or mother was in back holding onto the back of the bike, you sailed along confidently. But as soon as you noticed, he or she was standing by the road watching you, your confidence waned, and you panicked. You started to wobble, and you began ...

4729. Trust in Me

Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... of that, and he trusted his inner voice, his encounter with an angel in a dream. We all have times when our intuition is prodding us. Think of the times you’ve been asleep and have woken, knowing someone is staring at you. What about the time you thought of someone you hadn’t seen for a while, just before they called? Encounters with God can be like that too. In fact, science is even giving us a name for this in the realm of physics: entanglement. Have you had an encounter with God that you’ve ignored ...

4730. Bittersweet

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... people who believe in our ability to continue and carry out Christ’s mission in the world. Do we value those gifts as we should? What in turn do we gift our community? Do we simply turn around the gift we’ve been given and give it away without thought to the needs and the circumstances of the people we are caring for? OR do we treasure our gift so dearly that we lovingly give something from our treasure that will make our neighborhood and our city smile? What do our gifts say about us? Today, we read in ...

4731. The Good Catch

Matthew 17:24-27

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... met by providing for abundant fish! Jesus is Lord of the Sea and the Sky. Nothing is outside of His control. Just as God has provided a good living for Peter from his labor on the sea, just as Jesus had once provided a huge haul for him when he thought he’d catch nothing, Peter can take some of what he’s been given, minimal as it is, to give to the organization to which he pledges his Jewish identity –the Temple. No big deal. There are many fish in the sea, and the “catch” of the day is free ...

4732. No Fair!

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... stingy, self-centered, exclusive, grumbling. God’s grace is God’s to give. God’s grace is not only ours to enjoy, but belongs to all of God’s people. We are not to judge who those people may be. God’s ways are not our ways, God’s thoughts are not our thoughts. God celebrates every single time a person comes to work in God’s vineyard. And in God’s overflow of joy, God gifts all of us with the grace, love, joy, well-being we need. Jesus spent a lot of time in his last weeks of life telling ...

4733. The Gardener

John 20:10-18

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... at the head and foot of the slab where the missing Jesus had lain. Yet another was even more strange –that Mary saw Jesus in the dark of the morning in the garden near the tomb, heard his voice, spoke with him. And he called her by name. She had thought he was the gardener. Why a gardener? This question is more significant than you may think. How many of you have ever gardened? Let’s see how many of you admit to being members of the world’s oldest profession this morning? [Ask for a show of hands for ...

4734. Born of the Spirit

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... Jewish Bible Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5 Jesus and the Pharisees were often at odds, but some of them were followers and thought highly of the master rabbi. One of those was Nicodemus, whose name means “victory of the people.” Nicodemus was a respected Pharisee and teacher and a distinguished member of the Sanhedrin. We are told of at least one time when he snuck to see Jesus in the ...

4735. The Samaritan

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... –Assyrian, Babylonian, Greek, Roman. Some kept their Jewish faith –or rather their version of it. Others not. We don’t know which this man is, but we do know, his heart was purer than anyone else’s. He had compassion on the injured man. The priests and Levites thought they had it all wrapped up when it came to pious and pure Judaism. Yet in Jesus’ story, it is a mud-blood Samaritan, and not one of their pure-bloods, who helps and cares for the injured man. In Jesus’ story, it is this man, a ...

4736. Are You a Lemming or a Lassie?

Luke 12:13-21, Luke 12:22-34, Luke 12:35-48, Luke 12:49-53, Luke 12:54-59

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... or an arbiter between you?” Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You ...

4737. Masks Off!

John 7:25-45 and 8:11-59

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!” “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus ...

4738. Oh That Cookie Jar Goodness!

Matthew 19:16-30, Mark 10:17-31, Luke 18:18-30

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... home of Philo, who was alive and writing during Jesus’ ministry. In fact, Philo’s brother was a Roman Government Official who had ties to Jerusalem. Those with wealth and education would no doubt be influenced whether in thought, written material, or simply culture by Greek thought. And we know they were. While Philo called Plato, “the Most Holy Plato,” he also saw Moses as the forerunner of Plato’s philosophy. Philo defined a “good man” as someone whose effort was to achieve virtue through ...

4739. Peter the Petulant

Mark 14:1-11, Mark 14:12-26, Mark 14:27-31

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor. As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night. When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is ...

4740. The Tragedy of Caiaphas

John 18:1-27 · John 11:45-47 · Matthew 26:36-75

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... the seas. In an effort to save the ship’s inhabitants, the Captain sent a message in morse code to his son, so that he could send help on the way. But when his son received the message, he couldn’t decipher it. Instead of “send help” he thought the message said, “we’ve arrived.” And the son went back to sleep. In the morning, when news came of his family’s demise, the young man at last realized his arrogance and foolishness. But it was too late. And his family would never be coming home. If ...

4741. A Restless Spirit

1 Samuel 28:1-25

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... , at one time or another, he or she will remind you more of a double agent in a spy story than the sweet, angelic innocent you thought you were bringing up in your home. We as humans are often funny, yet adorable creatures. But in all honesty, we tend to shoot ourselves in ... brother. Hamlet is “haunted” by his father’s memory. The dramatic action of the “ghost” appearances reveal inner thoughts of the characters. The ghost, the representation of memory, tells us that “all is not well.” And ...

4742. Identity Crisis

Genesis 32:1-21, Genesis 32:22-32, Genesis 33:1-20

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... Esau, and he is coming behind us.’” He also instructed the second, the third and all the others who followed the herds: “You are to say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. And be sure to say, ‘Your servant Jacob is coming behind us.’” For he thought, “I will pacify him with these gifts I am sending on ahead; later, when I see him, perhaps he will receive me.” So, Jacob’s gifts went on ahead of him, but he himself spent the night in the camp. That night Jacob got up and took his two ...

4743. Elisha's Bones

2 Kings 13:10-25

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... the men to toss the body, prepared for burial, into Elisha’s ossuary was the height of disrespect. They weren’t thinking of respect at that time though. They were worried about their own lives! Moabite raiders! They thought they would be killed. So respect for the dead was hardly their first thought. But bones also represent life, God’s promise, and a metaphor for “God saves.” Just as in the story of Ezekiel, God has the power to save and restore. Save the men from the Moabites (which we assume ...

4744. The Writing on the Wall

2 Samuel 11:1-27, 2 Samuel 12:1-31, John 7:25-44, John 7:45--8:11

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... was wrong. There are places in all of our lives in which we have blinders on. It’s like when you look through your camera on your phone [show photo if you’d like], and take a photo. Then afterward you discover you can’t see anything of what you thought you photographed, because the entire time, your thumb was in front of the lens! We all have “blind spots” in our lives that trip us up. But even if we know this, there are times when we get tripped up anyway! That’s why it’s called a “blind ...

4745. Song of Promise

Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 1:46-56, Luke 1:39-45

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... . What a strange and beautiful lullaby! And like those Christmas Carols that warm our hearts, or the spirituals that gave hope to a people in chains, that song that Mary sang must have resonated with so many people –people who had given up hope, who had thought God couldn’t hear them, who were resigned to their lives of oppression, who were heavy in heart. Mary’s song is a song of unconstrained, uncontained joy, a song of a soon to come liberator, who would free us not just from our circumstances but ...

4746. Follow the Light

Genesis 1:1-2:3, Matthew 2:1-12, Revelation 22:1-6

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... is the Truth of Jesus. And whatever we cannot accomplish on our own, Jesus can! [Here you could also include another litany of ….when you think you can’t do, you’re right… ……but Jesus can!] Jesus is the Light that can shine within our darkest thoughts, and relieve our darkest fears. Too often, we think we need to shine our own light, solve our own problems, fight our own battles, plan our own future, rely on our own abilities, figure out our failures, accept our defeat. But in Jesus we are never ...

4747. Faith is a River That Flows

Genesis 19:1-29

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... flows. May our prayers be reeds that cling to the rock From which springs somehow the living waters." I’ll bet all of you remember the first time you climbed the “big slide.” I mean the “BIG” slide, that one that you looked at as a child and thought –that’s awesome. But scary! Real scary! I mean, it’s WAY high, and it’s a long way to the bottom, and okay, wow! On the one hand, you are filled with that weird exhilaration to climb up there and have that experience of the wind whipping past ...

4748. Run Away Bride

Exodus 24:1-18, Matthew 22:1-14, Hosea 1:1-2:1

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... here? [You can tailor the story below to your own, or tell is in the third person]: Many years ago, before my call to ministry, I was commissioned to play the organ for a wedding. It began like any other wedding with about 20 minutes or so of preludes. I thought it a bit odd that the only music the couple had chosen for the wedding were tunes from The Phantom of the Opera. But then again, people have all kinds of reasons for the music that they choose. So off I played. But when it got to be about quarter ...

4749. Dusted

Mark 6:7-13, Matthew 10:1-42, Luke 9:1-9, Luke 10:1-24

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... off like the mere “dust” they are, similar to the chaff blowing away from the wheat. Wheat have weight. Chaff have no real spiritual substance. So to “shake off the dust” was to declare someone the “dust” they are –incapable of greater things and thoughts, feelings and insight. Hard headed, stiff necked people. It is not even so much a “judgement” as a “consequence.”** Herein also lies the idea of repentance as connected to dust or ash. It’s a sign of humility. And a sign that one is ...

4750. The Wild Within

Luke 4:1-13, Mark 1:9-13, Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... have seen…” (Deuteronomy 1:19) When writing and thinking, your imagination is your “wild place.” It’s that disorderly place of imaginative dreaming in which we let our mind roam the wilderness of images, a wide open range teeming with randomness of thoughts, synthesis of uncommon ideas, mines of raw intuition, then swirling it all up into a mind tornado that can forge any number of new directions, creative urges, projects, or new trails. But our “wild place” is also where the trappings of our ...

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